Inverted curling method for metal beverage containers and beverage containers with inverted curls

ABSTRACT

Bottles with inwardly curled upper portions at the bottle opening and methods and tooling for producing such bottles. The inwardly curled upper portions impart compressive stresses into the bottle material and can reduce a likelihood of material splitting because the upper portion may not be stretched to a larger outer diameter as with outwardly curled upper portions. The inwardly curled upper portions may be formed using rollers with an entry radius positioned near an outside diameter of the bottle opening. The inward curl is formed as the bottle material enters the rollers near an entry face of the rollers, transitions through a work face of the rollers, and exits the roller at an exit face of the rollers. The resulting inward curl meets the edge of the bottle material near the inner surface of the bottle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/265,617 filed Dec. 10, 2015, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to beverage containers andmethods for producing beverage containers. More specifically, thepresent disclosure relates to beverage containers with inverted curlsand an inverted curling method for producing metal beverage bottles andbeverage containers with inverted curls.

BACKGROUND

Beverage containers such as, for example, beverage bottles made frommetals (e.g., steel or aluminum), can include a curl at an opening ofthe bottle. The curl may be used as an attachment point for a bottlecap, or as a finishing detail to remove any sharp edges that may cut orinjure a user of the bottle. To construct the curl, the bottle body isgenerally formed with a finished inner diameter and an upper portion ofexcess material around the bottle opening. The upper portion of excessmaterial is then rolled outward to produce a curl around the bottleopening, which also defines a finished outer diameter of the bottleopening.

However, rolling the upper portion outward to produce the curl asdescribed above can pose a number of challenges in the production oflarge numbers of beverage bottles. For example, rolling the upperportion of excess material outward around the bottle opening can impartadditional tensile stress on the bottle material, which can cause damageto the bottle. As an example, at the point in the bottle productionprocess when an upper portion of a bottle opening is curled outward toproduce a curl around the bottle opening, the bottle material may havealready been through many forming operations and the material may be at,or near, a formability limit in tension (e.g., a threshold amount oftension at which the bottle may undesirably deform by splitting,cracking, or other failure in the material). As a result, outward curlsat the bottle opening may impose additional tensile stress on thebottle, which can cause damage to the bottle such as for example,splitting of the bottle material at or near the curl. Curl splits can becommon defects in bottle production and can cause high rates ofspoilage, which can increase production cost and reduce efficiency.Outward curls can also leave an abutment between the edge of the bottlematerial and the exterior surface of the bottle. For crown cap closurebottles, especially in the case of a crown cap closure beverage bottle,removing the cap with a prying tool may damage and/or unroll the outwardcurl, exposing a sharp edge that may potentially harm a user. Any damageor forming irregularities in the curl abutment may also cause problemswith proper sealing of the bottle cap, or may provide a space for thecollection of dirt, debris, or bacteria. Consequently, higher rates ofproduct loss or contamination may occur as a result of outwardly rollingan upper portion of a beverage bottle to produce a curl.

SUMMARY

The term embodiment and like terms are intended to refer broadly to allof the subject matter of this disclosure and the claims below.Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit thesubject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of theclaims below. Embodiments of the present disclosure covered herein aredefined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is ahigh-level overview of various aspects of the disclosure and introducessome of the concepts that are further described in the DetailedDescription section below. This summary is not intended to identify keyor essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intendedto be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The subject matter should be understood by reference toappropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, anyor all drawings, and each claim.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a bottle with aninward or inverted curl at an opening of the bottle and the methods andmeans for producing the bottle. In some examples, inward curling of thebottle opening may impart a compressive stress state in the upperportion of the bottle during manufacture, which can increase a thresholdamount of pressure, force, or stress that the bottle can withstandbefore the upper portion of the bottle begins to deform in anundesirable way (e.g., by splitting, cracking, or other failure in thematerial) as compared to outward curling of the bottle opening. Theimparted compressive stress state in the upper portion can lower oreliminate an incidence of curl splitting, which can result in improvedprocess efficiency and reduce spoilage rates.

In some examples, an uncurled portion of the bottle, including, forexample, the body, neck, or any other features such as threads or othercap or sealing structures, may be formed using traditional productionmethods. Once the uncurled portion of the bottle is formed, an outerdiameter of the bottle opening may be finished with an upper portion ofexcess material extending beyond what will become the top of thefinished bottle. The upper portion of excess material may then be curledinward, imparting compressive stress into the upper portion material andthe inward curl. The inward curl may define an inner diameter of thebottle opening and may be used to hold other devices or structures inthe bottle opening (e.g., a cap of the bottle).

In some examples, one or more rollers can be designed such that therollers may be used to incrementally curl the upper portion of excessmaterial and seat an edge of the upper portion on an inside surface ofthe neck of the bottle. A shape, size, or configuration of the one ormore rollers may include or be defined by an entry radius, a straightsupport land, a work radius, and an exit radius. In some examples, theentry radius and/or support land of the roller may be configured toalign with the outer diameter of the bottle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative examples of the present disclosure are described in detailbelow with reference to the following drawing figures:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle with an inward curl,according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle with an inward curl andan insert, according to one example of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-G are schematic sectional views of a bottle with an inward curlat various stages of manufacture, according to one example of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-G are schematic sectional views of a bottle with an inward curlat various stages of manufacture, according to another example of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a schematic sectional view of an exemplary roller for inwardcurling of a bottle neck, according to one example of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5B is a detail view of the roller of FIG. 5A, according to oneexample of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is describedhere with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but thisdescription is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of theclaims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, mayinclude different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction withother existing or future technologies. This description should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among orbetween various steps or elements except when the order of individualsteps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an exemplary bottle 100 with aninverted or inward curl 110. The bottle 100 can be made of any material.For example, the inward curl 110 may be used on bottles made fromaluminum, steel, any other metal or metallic alloy, or any othermaterial that can be selected based on suitability in a particularapplication. As an example, the bottle 100 with the inward curl 110 canbe formed from aluminum alloy 3104 or any related or similar aluminumalloys. The bottle 100 also includes a neck 102 that includes an opening118 at a first end (e.g., a top end) of the bottle 100, an outer surface104, and an inner surface 106. The bottle opening 118 can have an outerdiameter 114 and an inner diameter 116. The outer diameter 114 or theinner diameter 116 can be of any length or size. In some examples, thebottle 100 may also include a lip 108 below the first end of the bottle(e.g., below the bottle opening 118).

The inward curl 110 can be of any suitable size. For example, the inwardcurl 110 can have a constant radius through the curl. As anotherexample, the inward curl 110 can have a variable radius (e.g., a radiusof the curl may vary along the inward curl 110). In some examples, theinward curl 110 may comprise a 360 degree inward curl. In anotherexample, the inward curl can be a curl of any angle (e.g., 180 degreesor any other suitable angle). In some examples, a portion of thematerial of the bottle 100 can be deformed, bent, or otherwise curled toform the inward curl 110. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, thematerial of the bottle 100 (e.g., the material at the top end of thebottle) is deformed, bent, or otherwise curled from the outer diameter114 of the bottle opening 118 to form the inward curl 110 such that anedge 122 of the inward curl 110 is displaced towards the inner surface106 of the bottle 100. In this example, the edge 122 of the inward curl110 may approach or meet the inner surface 106 of the bottle 100 at apoint or an abutment 112. The abutment 112 may be a point of contactbetween the edge 122 and the inner surface 106 of the bottle 100. Inanother example, the abutment 112 may be a region or an area where theedge 122 of the inward curl 110 is in close proximity to the innersurface 106 of the bottle 100. In some examples, the inward curl 110 canextend from the outer surface 104 of the bottle to the inner surface 106and into the opening 118 and to the abutment 112. In some such examples,the inward curl can extend to the inner surface 106 such that that theedge 122 may be adjacent or near the inner surface 106. In someexamples, the edge 122 may be glued, welded, or otherwise attached tothe inner surface 106 of the bottle 100 at the abutment 112, although itneed not be. In the example depicted in FIG. 1, the inner diameter 116of the bottle opening 118 may be defined by the innermost point of theinward curl 110 (e.g., the innermost point of the inward curl 110relative to the inner surface 106) or may otherwise correspond to theinnermost point of the inward curl 110.

In some examples, any type of bottle 100 can include the inward curl110. For example, the inward curl 110 may be used on bottles with acrown-type closure (e.g., a bottle that includes features correspondingto a crown-type closure such that the bottle can be sealed with a crowncap), a screw-type closure (e.g., a bottle that can be sealed with athreaded screw cap), or any bottle that can include any other type ofclosure, cap, or sealing mechanism. As an example, for a screw-typeclosure, the bottle neck 102 may include one or more threads (e.g.,below the top end of the bottle 100 or below the opening 118) ormolded-in depressions (not shown) configured to accept a screw-on orroll-on pilfer proof type cap. As another example, for a crown-typeclosure, the bottle neck 102 may include one or more depressions,protrusions, or other features (e.g., below the top end of the bottle100 or below the opening 118) configured to accept the crown-typeclosure to couple the bottle 100 to the crown-type closure. In someexamples, the screw-type closure or the crown-type closure may be usedto seal the bottle 100.

In some examples, the bottle 100 with the inward curl 110 at the opening118 may offer a number of advantages over bottle configurations havingan outward curl. For example, a process of manufacturing a bottle mayinclude blow molding, deep drawing, ironing, die necking, incrementalforming, or any other material forming process. During the manufacturingprocess, the material of the bottle can be subjected to a large degreeof deformation (e.g., a change in a shape, size, or volume of thebottle), which can result in a buildup of stress and strain throughoutthe bottle. In some examples, during some conventional methods ofmanufacturing a bottle, an upper portion around an opening of the bottleis curled outwards, which can expand and stretch the material of thebottle circumferentially and impart additional tensile stress anddeformation on the bottle. The additional tensile stress and deformationcan cause cracking or splitting of the material of the bottle in andaround the outward curl.

In contrast, the inward curl 110 of the bottle 100 can compress thematerial around the opening 118 of the bottle 100. In some examples,compressive stresses imparted by the inward curl 110 can reduce alikelihood of cracking or splitting of the material of the bottle 100because they do not add additional tensile stresses and deformation tothe bottle 100. In some examples, such as, for example, with blow moldedbottles, the compressive stresses imparted by the inward curl 110 mayrelieve tensile stresses that may be present in the material at, oraround, the opening 118 of the bottle 100, which can reduce thelikelihood of cracking or splitting in and around the inward curl 110.In some examples, reducing the likelihood of splitting or cracking mayincrease production efficiency by reducing the amount of spoilage ofbottles 100 during production.

In some examples, the inward curl 110 at the opening 118 of the bottle100 may offer additional benefits. For example, the inward curl 110 mayprovide advantages in cleanliness, improved sealing, and user safety. Asan example, the abutment 112 and the edge 122 of the inward curl 110 canbe located on or near the inner surface 106 of the bottle 100, which canprotect the edge of the inward curl 110 from damage. If a bottle isstruck or otherwise subjected to abuse during manufacture, storage,filling, capping, shipment, or, in the case of consumer products, ondisplay or during use, the weakest and most likely area for damage isthe free end of the curl. In some examples, having the abutment 112 andthe edge 122 of the inward curl 110 near the inner surface 106 canprevent a free end of the bottle 100 from exposure to being struck orotherwise damaged, which can prevent damage to inward curl 110 duringmanufacture, storage, filing, capping, shipment or while on display orduring use. In another example, such as with a bottle with a crown typeclosure, opening the bottle with a prying tool may damage and/or unrollan outward curl, exposing a user to a potentially dangerous sharp edgebecause the free end of the outward curl is unsupported, and thereforerequires the least amount of force to bend or otherwise deform. Bycontrast, in the case of the bottle 100 having an inward curl 110, theedge 122 of the inward curl 110 is located inside the opening 118 of thebottle 100 and can be less likely to encounter a direct strike and/ordamage during bottle opening. In some examples, the inward curl 110 atthe opening 118 may offer further additional benefits or may allowincorporation of additional features onto the bottle 100. In someexamples, the inward curl 110 may be formed to a greater or lesserextent as described above, so long as the final inward curl 110 providesadequate axial support to the bottle 100 through geometry and/or strainhardening of a material of the bottle 100.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a bottle 200 with an inward curl210 and an insert 230, according to one example of the presentdisclosure. In the example depicted in FIG. 2, the bottle 200 caninclude a neck 202 that includes an opening 218, an outer surface 204,an inner surface 206, a lip 208 below the opening 218, an outer diameter214, and an inner diameter 216. The neck 202, opening 218, outer surface204, inner surface 206, lip 208, outer diameter 214, and inner diameter216 can each be configured in substantially the same manner as therespective neck 102, opening 118, outer surface 104, inner surface 106,lip 108, outer diameter 114, and inner diameter 116 of the bottle 100 ofFIG. 1, although it need not be. In the example depicted in FIG. 2, amaterial of the bottle 200 is deformed, bent, or otherwise curled fromthe outer diameter 114 of the opening 218 such that an edge 222 of theinward curl 210 is displaced toward the inner surface 206. In thisexample, the insert 230 can be positioned at or near the opening 218 andthe edge 222 of the inward curl 210 can approach or meet the insert 230at a point or an abutment 212. The abutment 212 can be a point ofcontact between the edge 222 and the insert 230. In another example, theabutment 212 can be a region where the edge 222 of the inward curl 210is in close proximity to the insert 230 of the bottle 200. In someexamples, the edge 222 may be glued, welded, or otherwise attached tothe insert 230 at the abutment 212, although it need not be.

In some examples, the insert 230 can be a liquid flow modifier (e.g., adevice for modifying a flow of a fluid in the bottle 200). In anotherexample, the insert 230 can be part of a closure mechanism or device(e.g., part of a device for sealing the contents of the bottle 200). Insome examples, the insert 230 may be more securely located at or nearthe opening 218 of the bottle 200 by taking advantage of the inward curl210 and the lip 208. For example, in the example depicted in FIG. 2, theinsert 230 rests on the lip 208 and is confined at the top by the edge222 of the inward curl 210 at the abutment 212. In this position, theinsert 230 may provide support to the bottle opening 218 and/or bottleneck 202. In some examples, the insert 230 or a portion of the insert230 may be confined, crimped, or pinched between the inward curl 210 andthe inner surface 206 of the bottle 200. As an example, the insert 230may be snapped into place between the inward curl 210 and the innersurface 206 of the bottle 200. As another example, the insert 230 or aportion of the insert 230 may be confined, crimped or pinched betweenthe inward curl 210 and a constriction of the bottle 200 (e.g., a narrowinner portion of the bottle 200). For example, and referring to FIG. 1,in some examples, an insert (e.g., the insert 230) may also be snappedin the abutment 112. In another example, the bottle 100 includes the lip108 and the insert may be snapped in or confined in a space 126 betweenthe lip 108 and the lower boundary of the inward curl 110 below theabutment 112. In any of the above mentioned examples, an insert may beinserted prior to or after the formation of the inward curl 110, 210,lip 108, 208, and/or any other features of the bottle 100, 200.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the case of damage to the inward curl110, 210, or if the manufacturing process does not properly position orseat the edge 122, 222 on or about the inner surface 106 and/or aninsert 230, there can be a reduced likelihood of damage or injury,collection of debris, bacterial growth, and/or loss of sealingperformance. For example, the edge 122, 222 of the inward curl 110, 210,which may be very sharp due to the manufacturing process or due to thethin gauge (e.g., thickness) of the bottle material, can be less likelyto come into contact with a user as a result of the inward curl 110,210, which can prevent the sharp edge 122, 222 from causing cuts orother injuries to the user. As another example, the space within theinward curl 110, 210 can be within a sealed portion of the bottle 100,200, which can cause the space to be less likely to collect debris orprovide an area for bacterial growth, as compared to an outward curl. Asstill another example, bottle sealing points, such as, for example, atthe outer diameter 114, 214, inner diameter 116, 216, lip 108, 208, orany another point at or about the opening 118, 218 of the bottle 100,200, can be further away from the edge 122, 222 of the inward curl 110,210 and less likely to be affected by any damage or distortion to theedge 122, 222 of the inward curl 110, 210.

FIGS. 3A-G are schematic sectional views of an exemplary crown closurebottle 300 with an inward curl 310 at various stages of manufacture,according to one example of the present disclosure. FIGS. 3A-G depict anexample of various stages of manufacture from an uncurled bottle 300(e.g., in FIG. 3A) to a finished bottle 300 (e.g., in FIG. 3G). In theexample depicted in FIGS. 3A-G, sectional views are shown such that aright portion of the bottle 300 is sectioned with respect to thevertical axis 324. In this example, the bottle 300 includes a neck 302,an outer surface 304, and an inner surface 306. The neck 302 includes anopening 318 at the top of the bottle 300.

In this example, the bottle 300 may begin a process of imparting aninward curl 310 as an uncurled bottle 300 (e.g., in FIG. 3A), which hasalready been molded or otherwise formed to produce features and ageometry of the bottle body (not shown) and neck 302 below the opening318. The uncurled bottle 300, as depicted in FIG. 3A, may include anupper portion 320 at or near the opening 318 and an edge 322. The upperportion 320 may be formed into the inward curl 310 in the finishedbottle 300 (e.g., in FIG. 3G) and, in some examples, the upper portion320 includes all or substantially all of the material of the bottle 300that can be used to form the inward curl 310. In some examples, amaterial of the upper portion 320 may be thicker than, for example,other portions of the uncurled bottle 300. For example, the material ofthe upper portion 320 can be a material that has a higher gauge orthickness than other portions of the uncurled bottle 300. As anotherexample, production of the uncurled bottle 300 can be tailored such thatthe upper portion 320 has a thicker residual material gauge or thicknessthan another portion of the uncurled bottle 300. In some examples, athicker upper portion 320 may tolerate or bear an amount of compressivestress used to form an inward curl 310 without buckling, undesirablydeforming (e.g., by splitting, cracking, or other failure in thematerial) or other undesirable effects.

In some examples, the uncurled bottle 300 depicted in FIG. 3A mayundergo one or more processes (e.g., manufacturing processes for formingthe bottle 300 or the inward curl 310). For example, the uncurled bottle300 of FIG. 3A may undergo processing to form a lip 308, as depicted inFIG. 3B. The lip 308 may be formed at a position on the neck 302 that issufficiently low such that the upper portion 320 can maintain sufficientmaterial to be formed into the inward curl 310 at a subsequent stage ofthe bottle manufacturing process. In some examples, the lip 308 can beformed at any position on the neck 302 that is below the opening 318. Insome examples, when forming the lip 308, an outer diameter 314 of theopening 318 may be set prior to performing one or more curlingoperations while maintaining the edge 322 as the upper-most extremity ofthe bottle 300. In some examples, an insert (e.g., the insert 230 ofFIG. 2) may be inserted into the bottle 300 and positioned to rest on aninner surface 306 of the bottle 300, at the lip 308, or at any otherinternal feature as described above. The insert may be used as aninternal form or structure such that the material of the bottle 300 canbe bent around the insert to locate and/or secure the insert in thebottle 300 and/or to assist in forming a desired geometry of the lip308, the inward curl 310, or any other feature of the bottle 300.

In this example, after the lip 308 is formed, the upper portion 320 maybe bent, deformed, or otherwise curled to form the inward curl 310. Forexample, as depicted in FIGS. 3C-F, the inward curl 310 can be formedusing rollers 500. Each roller 500 can be a roll of any shape or sizethat is made of any suitable material for rolling the material of thebottle 300. For example, each roller 500 can be a steel roller, or aroller of any other suitable material. Each roller 500 can include anentry face 502 on an entry radius 504, a work face 506 on a work radius508, a support land 505 between the entry face 502 and the work face506, and an exit face 510 on an exit radius 512. In the example depictedin FIGS. 3C-F, the work face 506 includes a portion of the rollers 500positioned between the entry face 502 and the exit face 510. The entryface 502, the work face 506, and/or the exit face 510 can each be aconvex and/or concave portion of the roller 500. For example, the entryface 502 can be a convex portion of the rollers 500, the work face 506can be a concave portion of the rollers 500 and the exit face 510 can beanother convex portion of the rollers 500. The rollers 500 may rotateabout roller axis 501 while forming the inward curl 310.

In some examples, the rollers 500 may initially be lowered toward thebottle 300, or the bottle 300 may be raised toward the rollers 500, intoa first position to begin a process of forming the inward curl 310. Inthe example depicted in FIG. 3C, during initial engagement of therollers 500 with the upper portion 320 of the bottle 300, the bottle 300and/or rollers 500 may rotate about a vertical axis 324 relative to oneanother, which can allow a smoother engagement of the rollers 500 withthe upper portion 320 and reduce a likelihood of buckling of the upperportion 320. In this example, as the rollers 500 axially engage theupper portion 320 and the bottle 300 and/or the rollers 500 rotate aboutthe vertical axis 324 with respect to one another, as depicted in FIGS.3D-3E, the edge 322 can contact the entry face 502 and follow acurvature of the entry face 502 to feed into the support land 505 andinto the work face 506. In some examples, the upper portion 320 and edge322 of the bottle 300 may then be curled or otherwise deformed as theyfollow the contours of the support land 505 and/or work face 506 andprogress toward the exit face 510 of the rollers 500. In some examples,the exit face 510 may then guide or direct the edge 322 of the partiallyformed inward curl 310 toward the inner surface 306 of the bottle 300.In this manner, the entry face 502 can initially contact the upperportion 320 and/or the edge 322 to define or set an outer diameter 314of the bottle 300 and guide the upper portion 320 and/or the edge 322toward or into the work face 506. The exit face 510 can subsequentlyreceive the upper portion 320 and/or the edge 322 from the work face 506and the exit face 510 can release the upper portion 320 and/or the edge322 and define the inner diameter 316 of the bottle 300, as depicted inFIGS. 3F-G.

The rollers 500 may continue to engage with the upper portion 320 of thebottle until a fully engaged position is reached, such as, for example,as depicted in FIG. 3F-G. In the example depicted in FIG. 3F, the rolleraxis 501 is at the lowest point relative to the bottle 300. As therollers 500 continue to engage the upper portion 320 and rotate relativeto the opening 318 about the vertical axis 324, the rollers 500 canprogressively curl or deform the upper portion 320 to form a completedinward curl 310 with the edge 322 at an abutment 312 of the bottle 300.In some examples, once the inward curl 310 is fully formed, the inwardcurl 310 may define an inner diameter 316 of the bottle 300 and/orbottle opening 318. In some examples, the rollers 500 may include asharpened edge or other cutting surface or feature that can be used totrim the upper portion 320 and/or edge 322 (e.g., while deforming theupper portion 320 to form the inward curl 310) to provide a uniform edge322 at the abutment 312. In some examples, during the curling processdescribed above, the rollers 500 and/or the bottle 300 may continue torotate with respect to one another about the vertical axis 324. Rotatingthe rollers and/or the bottle 300 about the vertical axis 324 withrespect to one another combined with the rotation of the rollers 500about the roller axis 501 can allow the rollers 500 to smoothly form theinward curl 310 throughout the axial engagement in a continuous process.

In some examples, various modifications or variations to the curlingprocess described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-3F may be used to altera shape or contour of the inward curl 310. For example, an amount ofrelative engagement, speed of engagement, and/or speed of relativerotation between the rollers 500 and the upper portion 320 may beadjusted based on a particular material of the bottle 300, a thicknessof the material, a residual stress from a prior forming process in themanufacture of the bottle 300, or any other factor. Adjusting the amountof relative engagement, speed of engagement, and/or speed of relativerotation between the rollers 500 and the upper portion 320 may alter theshape or contour of the inward curl 310. As another example, the rolleraxis 501 may be parallel or offset at an angle with respect to theun-deformed upper portion 320 and/or edge 322 of the bottle 300, whichcan alter the shape or contour of the inward curl 310. In some examples,the rollers 500 may be adapted to engage the upper portion 320 of thebottle 300 radially instead of axially as shown in FIGS. 3C-F, which canalso alter the shape or contour of the inward curl 310. As still anotherexample, a radial distance of the rollers 500 with respect to thevertical axis 324 may be altered, with or without changes to the spacingof the entry radius 504, work radius 508, and/or exit radius 512 toadjust the relative positions of the inner diameter 316 and outerdiameter 314 to alter the shape or contour of the inward curl 310.

In some examples, a contour, shape, dimension, or configuration of theentry face 502, support land 505, work face 506, and/or exit face 510may be adjusted to modify a shape and/or size of the inward curl 310 andthe degree of contact between the edge 322 and the inner surface 306 atthe abutment 312. For example, the entry face 502 and/or the supportland 505 may be contoured to provide different shapes of the upperportion 320 of the bottle 300 as described in further detail below.

As depicted in FIG. 3F, the entry face 502 and the exit face 510 may, insome examples, generally align with the outer diameter 314 and the innerdiameter 316 of the bottle 300, respectively. In some examples, thecurvature and/or contour of the entry face 502, support land 505, workface 506, and/or exit face 510 may affect the final outer diameter 314and/or inner diameter 316. For example, the final formation of the outerdiameter 314 may take place during the curling operation. The curlingoperation may also be concurrent with other steps in the bottlemanufacturing process. For example, in a case of bottle 300 thatincludes an insert (e.g., the insert 230 of FIG. 2), the insert may beplaced in the opening 318 of the bottle 300 prior to the curlingprocess. The formation of the inward curl 310 may then crimp, pinch, orconfine the insert at the abutment 312. In some cases, the insert may berestricted between the inward curl 310 and another feature located onthe inner surface 306 of the bottle 300. In some examples, as shown inFIG. 3F, the insert may be restricted between the inward curl 310 andthe lip 308 at the space 326.

In some examples, during manufacture or forming of the inward curl 310of the bottle 300, one, two, or any number of rollers 500 that eachrotate about a roller axis 501 may be used. Each roller 500 may have theentry face 502 on the entry radius 504, the support land 505, the workface 506 on the work radius 508, and the exit face 510 on the exitradius 512 and can be configured as described above with reference torollers 500. Each roller 500 may axially engage the upper portion 320 ofthe bottle 300 while rotating about the vertical axis 324 relative tothe bottle 300 to form the inward curl 310. In some examples, the use ofmultiple rollers 500 may allow for additional control and/oradjustability in the production or forming of the inward curl 310. Forexample, multiple rollers 500 may be used to more gradually deform orcurl the upper portion 320 to shape the inward curl 310 or betterdistribute forces from the axial engagement of the rollers 500 overnumerous points of contact with the upper portion 320. Distribution ofthe forces from the axial engagement may reduce a likelihood of bucklingof the inward curl 310 or may allow for faster, more efficientproduction of the bottle 300.

In some examples, the use of multiple rollers 500 can allow each roller500 to be adapted for a particular function or sequence duringproduction or forming of the inward curl 310. For example, each roller500 can be individually controlled to stage the axial engagement of eachroller 500 with the bottle 300 in series and each roller 500 can performa different task or portion of the full curling process to form theinward curl 310. In some examples, the multiple rollers 500 can bearranged to allow the rollers 500 to engage the bottle 300 withprogressively increasing, progressively decreasing, or varying forces.The multiple rollers 500 can also be placed at different radialdistances from the vertical axis 324. For example, the multiple rollers500 may engage the bottle 300 in sequence from an outermost roller to aninnermost roller to more progressively deform the inward curl 310. Insome examples, each roller may have a respective roller axis 501oriented differently with respect to the bottle 300. In some examples,the multiple rollers 500 may have substantially the same profiles on theentry face 502, support land 505, work face 506, and/or exit face 510 ofeach roller 500. In another example, the multiple rollers 500 may eachhave different profiles or contours on the entry face 502, support land505, work face 506, and/or exit face 510 of each roller 500, which canallow each roller 500 to be adapted, configured, or controlled toperform a particular function or sequence in the curling process. Inthis manner, multiple rollers 500 can be staged or arranged in variousconfigurations based on any number of factors, including, for example, adesired location of the roller, a profile or contour of the roller(e.g., a curvature or shape of the roller), a desired amount of force orpressure to be applied by the roller on the bottle 300, etc. and themultiple rollers 500 can engage the bottle 300 as described above.

While any number of individual rollers 500 may be used, in someexamples, between three to six individual rollers 500 may be used. Inother examples, any suitable number of individual rollers 500 may beused and the number of individual rollers 500 may be selected based on atype of the material of the bottle 300, a thickness of the bottle 300and/or the upper portion 320, a shape or desired shape of the inwardcurl 310, a speed of production of the bottle 300, and/or any otherfactor or combination of factors. Further, while in this example, theinward curl 310 is described as being formed using rollers 500, thepresent disclosure is not limited to such configurations. Rather, insome examples, the inward curl 310 can be fabricated or formed usingvarious methods and techniques including, for example, by stamping,pressing, or any other processing methods that may deform the materialof the upper portion 320 to create the inward curl 310.

FIG. 3G depicts a schematic sectional view of the bottle 300 with acrown type closure after the completion of the curling process. Theinward curl 310 depicted in FIG. 3G is fully formed and the edge 322 isin close proximity and/or in contact with the inner surface 306 of thebottle 300 (e.g., in close proximity of, or in contact with, theabutment 312). The opening 318 of the bottle 300 has an outer diameter314 and an inner diameter 316, which are defined by the contours of theinward curl 310. In some examples, as depicted in FIG. 3G, the bottle300 may include specific features molded or shaped into the neck 302,opening 318, and/or inward curl 310. For example, the outer portion ofthe inward curl 310 may be formed to include a taper 321 between the lip308 and the top of the inward curl 310. As another example, the edge 322of the inward curl 310 and the abutment 312 between the edge 322 and theinner surface 306 may be near or above the lip 308 to define a space326. In some examples, a final shape of the bottle 300, bottle opening318, inward curl 310, and/or any other portions of the neck 302 may beshaped as necessary for any particular application, and may includeadditional features or geometries suitable for a particular use, closuresystem, and/or function.

FIGS. 4A-4G are schematic sectional views of an exemplary screw-typeclosure bottle 400 with an inward curl 410 at various stages ofmanufacture. FIGS. 4A-G depict an example of various stages ofmanufacture from an uncurled bottle 400 (e.g., in FIG. 4A) to a finishedbottle 400 (e.g., in FIG. 4G). In the example depicted in FIGS. 4A-G,sectional views are shown such that a right portion of the bottle 400 issectioned with respect to the vertical axis 424. In this example, thebottle 400 includes a neck 402, an outer surface 404, and an innersurface 406. The neck 402 includes an opening 418 at the top of thebottle 400.

In this example, the bottle 400 may begin a process for imparting aninward curl 410 as an uncurled bottle 400 (e.g., in FIG. 4A), which hasalready been molded or otherwise formed to produce features and ageometry of the bottle body (not shown) and neck 402 below the opening418. The uncurled bottle 400, as depicted in FIG. 4A, includes an upperportion 420 and an edge 422 each of which can be configured insubstantially the same manner as upper portion 320 and edge 322 of FIGS.3A-G, respectively, although they need not be. The uncurled bottle 400depicted in FIG. 4A can undergo one or more processes to form threads409 as depicted in FIG. 4B. The threads 409 may be formed sufficientlylow on the neck 402 of the bottle 400 such that the upper portion 420maintains sufficient material to be formed into the inward curl 410 at alater stage of the bottle manufacturing process. As an example, thethreads 409 may be formed below the opening 418. In some examples, whenforming the threads 409, an outer diameter 414 of the opening 418 may beset prior to performing one or more curling operations while maintainingthe edge 422 as the upper-most extremity of the bottle 400. In someexamples, an insert (e.g., the insert 230 of FIG. 2) may be insertedinto the bottle 400 and positioned to rest on an inner surface 406 ofthe bottle 400, at the threads 409, or at any other internal feature ofthe bottle 400 as described above. The insert may be used as an internalform or structure such that the material of the bottle 400 can be bentaround the insert to locate and/or secure the insert in the bottle 400and/or to assist in forming a desired geometry of the threads 409, theinward curl 410, or any other feature of the bottle 400.

In some examples, after the threads 409 are formed, the upper portion420 can be bent, deformed, or otherwise curled to form the inward curl410 in the finished bottle 400 (e.g., the finished bottle 400 of FIG.4G) in substantially the same manner as described above with respect toupper portion 320 and inward curl 310 of FIGS. 3C-F. For example, asdepicted in FIGS. 4C-F, the inward curl 410 can be formed using rollers600, which can be configured in substantially the same manner as therollers 500 of FIGS. 3C-F, although they need not be. In the exampledepicted in FIGS. 4C-F, the rollers 600 include an entry face 602 on anentry radius 604, a work face 606 on a work radius 608, a support land605 between the entry face 602 and the work face 606, and an exit face610 on an exit radius 612. The rollers 600 may rotate about roller axis601 while forming the inward curl 410. The rollers 600 can be used toform the inward curl 410 from the upper portion 420 in substantially thesame manner as described above with respect to rollers 500, inward curl310, and upper portion 320 of FIGS. 3C-F. As an example, the rollers 600can engage the upper portion 420 of the bottle 400 and the bottle 400and/or the rollers 600 may rotate about the vertical axis 424 relativeto one another. As the rollers 600 axially engage the upper portion 420and the bottle 400 and/or the rollers 600 rotate about the vertical axis424 with respect to one another, as depicted in FIGS. 4D-4E, the edge422 can contact the entry face 602 of the rollers 600 and follow acurvature of the entry face 602 to feed into the support land 605 andinto the work face 606. In some examples, the upper portion 420 and edge422 of the bottle 400 may then be curled or otherwise deformed as theyfollow the contours of the support land 605 and/or work face 606 andprogress toward the exit face 610 of the rollers 600. In some examples,the exit face 610 may then guide or direct the edge 422 of the partiallyformed inward curl 410 toward the inner surface 406 of the bottle 400.

The rollers 600 may continue to engage with the upper portion 420 of thebottle until a fully engaged position is reached, such as, for example,as depicted in FIG. 4F, where the roller axis 601 is at its lowest pointrelative to the bottle 400. As the rollers 600 continue to engage theupper portion 420 and rotate relative to the opening 418 about thevertical axis 424, the rollers 600 will progressively curl or deform theupper portion 420 to form a completed inward curl 410 with the edge 422at the abutment 412 of the bottle 400. In the example depicted in FIG.4G, the outer portion of the inward curl 410 may be formed with astraight profile with no taper or lip.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic side views of an exemplary roller 700,which may be made from a metal, ceramic, or other suitable material, andmay be used to form an inward curl as described above (e.g., the roller500 used to form the inward curl 310 of FIGS. 3C-F). The roller 700 maybe symmetrical about, and rotate around, a roller axis 701. In someexamples, the roller 700 may include or be divided, generally, intothree portions or sections: an entry radius 704, a work radius 708, andan exit radius 712. These radii 704, 708, 712 can each be convex and/orconcave portions of the roller 700 along the roller axis 701 and may beground or otherwise shaped at their surfaces to produce the shape orcontours of an entry face 702, work face 706, and exit face 710,respectively. The roller 700, in some examples, may also include asupport land 705 between the entry face 702 and work face 706. Thesupport land 705 can provide shaping and support to an outer portion ofthe inward curl during production. The entry face 702, work face 706,and exit face 710 associated with the individual radii 704, 708, 712and/or the support land 705 may be contoured and/or shaped toaccommodate a particular material (e.g., a particular material of thebottle 300 or a material of the upper portion 320 of FIGS. 3A-F),material gauge or thickness, production parameters (e.g., a desired rateof producing one or more bottles 300), the desired shape and dimensionsof the inward curl, etc. The shaping, spacing, and particular contoursof each of the entry face 702, work face 706, exit face 710, supportland 705, and/or radii 704, 708, 712 may be particularly adapted forcircular, elliptical, increasing curl radius, decreasing curl radius,partially curved, partially straight, tapered, and/or straight curlshapes.

The roller 700 may have a number of varied and complex geometries toaccommodate different inward curl shapes, sizes, and/or manufacturingmethods. The shape, contour, and/or curvature of each of the entry face702, work face 706, and/or exit face 710 may be described or defined bya series of radii, centers, and straight lines. For example, the contourof the entry face 702 may be described by an entry face radius 720 thatextends between a surface of the entry face 702 and an entry face center718. The location of the entry face center 718 may be arbitrary orpredefined, but once selected, the contour and shape of the entry face702 may be defined by the length of the entry face radius 720 at anyangle about the entry face center 718. As another example, the work face706 can have a work face center 722 and a work face radius 724 and thework face 706 may be defined by the work face radius 724 and the workface center 722. The exit face 710 may be described by an exit facecenter 726 and an exit face radius 728. As depicted in FIGS. 5A-B, theface centers 718, 722, 726 may be located inside or outside theboundaries of the roller 700, and may be on the concave or convex sideof the entry face 702, work face 706, and/or exit face 710,respectively.

In some examples, the entry face 702, work face 706, and/or exit face710 may have a constant radius or radius of curvature. In anotherexample, the entry face 702, work face 706, and/or exit face 710 mayhave a variable radius or radius of curvature (e.g., a radius or radiusof curvature that can vary along the entry face 702, work face 706,and/or exit face 710). In one non-limiting example, the roller 700 mayhave an entry face radius 720 of about 1.28 mm, a support land 705 ofabout 0.7 mm in length, a work face radius 724 of about 1.25 mm, and anexit face radius 728 of about 0.5 mm. The work face radius 724measurement may, in some examples, be relevant for defining the curlingdiameter of the inward curl 310, 410, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,respectively, and determining the difference between the outer diameter314, 414 and the inner diameter 316, 416 of the bottle 300, 400.

Still referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the shape of the roller 700 may alsobe partially defined by a feed-in angle 714 from the entry face 702 tothe work face 706, and a feed-out angle 716 from the work face 706 tothe exit face 710. The feed-in angle 714 is the angle of the surface ofthe roller 700 between the entry face 702 and work face 706, while thefeed-out angle 716 is the angle of the surface of the roller 700 betweenthe work face 706 and exit face 710. The feed-in angle 714 and feed-outangle 716 are measured from a line perpendicular to the roller axis 701.A value of any of the angles 714, 716 may be chosen to provide a smoothsurface between the entry face 702, work face 706, and exit face 710and/or to facilitate the transition and formation of a bottle materialthrough the roller 700. In some examples, a relationship between thecontour of the entry face 702, the contour of the work face 706, and thefeed-in angle 714 may partially or wholly define the contour, size, andpositioning of the support land 705. The interaction of the entry face702 and work face 706 at the support land 705 may be adjusted to providedifferent shapes and/or tapers to the outer portion of the inward curl.In some examples, the angles 714, 716 may be selected based on aformability and thickness of a particular material (e.g., a material ofthe bottle 300 or a material of the upper portion 320 of FIGS. 3A-F),inward curl geometry (e.g., a geometry of the inward curl 310), ageometry of the entry face 702, work face 706, and/or exit face 710, ageometry of the support land 705, and/or the relative dimensions of theinward curl, bottle, and/or roller 700. In certain cases, the feed-inangle 714 may be approximately 10° and the feed-out angle 716 may beapproximately 0°. However, the feed-in angle 714 and/or the feed-outangle 716 may take on any value as necessary for a particularapplication, and may be selected for smooth operation of the roller 700,material properties, material thickness, or any other characteristics ofthe metal forming process, material, and/or final product.

Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings ordescribed above, as well as components and steps not shown or describedare possible. Similarly, some features and subcombinations are usefuland may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described forillustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodimentswill become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depictedin the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be madewithout departing from the scope of the claims below.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A bottle with a curled end, the bottlecomprising: a top end comprising an edge; an opening at the top end ofthe bottle; an outer surface; and an inner surface, wherein the top endof the bottle comprises an inward curl extending from the outer surfaceof the bottle to the inner surface of the bottle such that the edge isadjacent the inner surface of the bottle and the inward curl imparts acompressive stress on the top end of the bottle.
 2. The bottle of claim1, further comprising a lip below the top end of the bottle.
 3. Thebottle of claim 1, further comprising a threaded feature below the topend of the bottle.
 4. The bottle of claim 1, further comprising acrown-type closure feature to allow the bottle to be sealed with acrown-type closure by coupling the bottle to the crown-type closure viathe crown-type closure feature.
 5. The bottle of claim 1, wherein theinward curl has a constant radius.
 6. The bottle of claim 1, wherein theinward curl has a variable radius.
 7. The bottle of claim 1, furthercomprising an insert positioned proximate the opening of the bottle,wherein the insert is affixed within the bottle by confining the insertbetween the inward curl and a constriction of the bottle.
 8. The bottleof claim 7, wherein the insert is a liquid flow modifier.
 9. A methodfor producing a bottle with an inward curl top, the method comprising:providing an uncurled bottle with an outer surface, an inner surface,and a bottle opening; forming an outer diameter with an upper portionand an edge; and deforming the upper portion inward toward the bottleopening to form an inner diameter such that the edge is adjacent theinner surface of the uncurled bottle and a compressive stress isimparted in the upper portion.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising trimming the edge during deformation.
 11. The method of claim9, further comprising forming a lip below the bottle opening.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein deforming the upper portion into the bottleopening comprises curling the upper portion with one or more rollers.13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more rollers comprises aplurality of staged rollers positioned proximate to the bottle forcurling the upper portion.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein eachroller of the plurality of staged rollers is staged proximate to thebottle based on a desired location, a curvature, or contact pressure ofthe one or more rollers.
 15. The method of claim 9, further comprisingforming threads below the bottle opening.
 16. The method of claim 9,further comprising: forming a constriction below the upper portion ofthe bottle; installing an insert in the bottle opening above theconstriction; and deforming the upper portion into the bottle openingsuch that a top end of the insert is below the edge and the insert isconfined between the edge and the constriction.
 17. A roller forcompressively curling a bottle opening comprising: a work face, an entryface, and an exit face, wherein the work face is concave and is locatedbetween the entry face and the exit face and wherein the entry face isconfigured to make initial contact with an upper portion of a bottle todefine an outer diameter of the bottle opening and is angled to guidethe upper portion into the work face, and wherein the exit face isconfigured to receive the upper portion from the work face and iscontoured to release the upper portion to define an inner diameter ofthe bottle.
 18. The roller of claim 17, wherein the work face has aconstant work face radius.
 19. The roller of claim 17, wherein the workface has a variable work face radius.
 20. The roller of claim 17,further comprising a trimming feature configured to trim the upperportion.